Just years after undergoing a £40m makeover, virtually every pillar of the pedestrian walkway, which links Newcastle and Gateshead , is now sprawling with unsightly graffiti.

But what of the iconic bridge’s history? Built to a Robert Stephenson design between 1847 and 1849, the bridge was opened to rail traffic, without ceremony, on August 15, 1849.

It was officially opened on September 27, 1849 by Queen Victoria - and entered ordinary use on February 4, 1850.

It was built - and opened - more or less in tandem with Newcastle Central Station, for the first time enabling passengers and goods to travel between London and Edinburgh as the new rail network spread across Britain like wildfire.

A view over the River Tyne from Gateshead, towards the High Level Bridge, Newcastle

The High Level Bridge is a road and rail bridge and, even today, it’s well worth a stroll across this grand, old marvel of Victorian engineering.

Taken in 1910, from the Gateshead side of the Tyne, our older picture shows the familiar Newcastle landmarks of St Nicholas’ Cathedral, the Keep and All Saints Church. On the southern, Gateshead bank of the river, we see the long-gone slum area of Bottle Bank.

Much was demolished in the 1920s, and over the years most of what remained has also gone.

The last remaining buildings were bulldozed in 2001, making way for the building of a new Hilton Hotel.